Gaming machines, whether providing video poker or slot games, have grown exponentially in numbers in the last twenty years, as have the revenues generated by such devices. It is estimated that more than 70% of any casino's revenue is now provided by gaming machines as opposed to table games.
In the gaming industry, there is a continuous need for innovative game features that will attract new players as well as keep regular players amused and therefore willing to continue playing the game. Since in virtually every casino game there is a house advantage, the longer a player remains playing at a machine, the larger the casino's profit. And since it is well recognized in the industry that players tend to easily tire of playing the same games over and over again, manufacturers must constantly develop new game features to stimulate player interest.
The majority of today's slot machines are video slots, particularly 5-reel×3-row multiple payline video slots. Especially in the last decade, these multiline machine games have been augmented by bonus games or features that are particularly popular with the gaming public. Since there is a strong desire to keep playing the base game in order to attain the bonus benefit, players spend more time on the machine in anticipation of the larger payoffs generally offered by the bonus feature.
The sense of anticipation stands at the core of multiline video gaming. With each wagered play of the base game, excitement builds as the player strives to win entrance to the bonus round, where pays are typically more lucrative. One of the drawbacks of this game play is that once a player has achieved the bonus benefit, anticipation of even greater rewards is diminished. More precisely put, when the player is playing the base game, he/she firstly wants a winning result, but even more importantly, is secondarily looking to attain entrance into the potentially more lucrative bonus round. Once in the bonus round, however, the player again looks to simply attain a winning result. There is a need to provide a bonus round that will still anticipate and make available even greater reward opportunities.
Certain prior art has attempted to enhance the known video slot machine bonus features.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,258,611 (Bigelow, Jr., et al.) includes an apparatus and method for a bonus game, and particularly a free spin bonus with an incrementing multiplier. The bonus game includes a plurality of reels having a plurality of symbols and multipliers. The gaming device provides a number of free spins to the player at the beginning of the bonus game. The multiplier preferably starts at “1.times.” and increases by one after each free spin. Initially, the player spins the reels attempting to obtain a winning symbol combination on the reels. If the player obtains a winning combination, the gaming device provides an award. The award is multiplied by the multiplier and the player receives the multiplied award for that free spin. The player continues to spin the reels until there are no free spins remaining in the bonus game.
U.S. Published Pat. Nos. 20110003629, 20090117990, 20050130737, and 20050130731 (Englman et al.) teach a video wagering game that provides a feature icon that may enhance game outcomes. Various specific enhancements include (1) providing more frequent bonus game play, (2) providing a larger bonus game value payout, (3) providing more frequent bonus game play and providing a larger bonus game value payout, (4) providing a larger or multiplied game value payout, (5) providing a guaranteed value payout for a non-winning outcome, (6) providing game features (7) providing a larger game value payout based on a partial game outcome, (8) providing an extra wild symbol capable of repositioning, and (9) providing a possibility of an additional reel movement to reposition an extra reel symbol or (10) providing a possibility of an extra pay line to include an extra reel symbol to increase a value payout.
U.S. Published Pat. No.20100323779 (Gagner, Mark B.; et al.) discloses a gaming system that comprises displaying a randomly selected outcome of the primary wagering game along with a display of a feature icon, detecting a selection of the feature icon, and in response to the selection of the feature icon, displaying a feature menu on the display. The feature menu displaying a plurality of available features is capable of activation in addition to the wagering game, and in response to a first feature of the feature menu being selected, the first feature may be activated and displayed if a first eligibility requirement is satisfied.
U.S. Published Pat. No.20100240439 (Englman et al.) describes a method of video gaming in which a randomly selected outcome of the wagering game is enhanced in response to an at least one play enhancement icon on the display at any time including at least one of before spinning the reels on the display, during spinning the reels on the display, and after spinning the reels on the display.
U.S. Published Pat. No.20100167815 (Gagner, Mark B.; et al.) describes a method of providing enhanced features in a wagered game that is predicated upon an activation of the said features.
U.S. Published Pat. No.20100160029 (Walker, Jay S.; et al.) discloses a system and method of providing a player of a gaming device entitlement to a bonus amount, wherein the bonus amount may not be immediately apparent or attainable by the player.
Despite the above referenced prior art, there remains a need for a dynamic bonus feature that will provide ever-enhanced benefits that will stimulate the gaming public. Since it is well known that gamblers not only play for the win, but for the anticipation of even greater rewards as well, the present invention provides methods that offer multiple stages of anticipation, especially in bonus play mode.